What's the use of twitter?

 How can you envision using Twitter in a library or other information organization? (Tags = blogpostwk4, blogpostwk4n2)

Twitter can be used as an excellent way to interact with patrons in terms of information queries. If a patron was to look for resources regarding a given subject, twitter can be highly effective in allowing a librarian to respond to the patron's question and provide possible resource titles, citations, and links. By doing this, a library can quickly and effectively meet patron reference needs in a way that is extremely convenient to modern day students, especially. Also, as twitter presents its information (posts) in a linear fashion, it makes it very easy to meet patron requests at a reasonably relaxed pace. In a time where resources are limited, twitter can prove to be a very useful tool for public and also academic librarians.

As is common among most organizations, twitter can also be used as a very effective way to promote events being held at public library institutions as well. Letting people know about what is going on and when, as well as leveraging the "retweet" function by having followers retweet the announcement posts in order to spread word of mouth can be extremely useful in ensuring a good turn out at events; something that can often prove key to justifying funding for the next fiscal year.

Addressing potentially controversial issues such as changes to circulation policies can also be a very useful function of twitter. In cases where libraries, in response to funding cuts, must cut back service hours, twitter can prove to be an excellent forum to discuss the hows and whys of the situation with the public. This can enable a constructive dialog regarding the issue with out the potentially heated tensions can can arise from face to face conversations. (Believe me, I would've loved to have had this back when I worked at the library!)

Twitter can also prove to be a great way to solicit suggestions for library programming and events. It does not simply have to be a solely self-directed activity driven by library staff; engaging the public by allowing them to constructively make suggestions and have their say is also important. People living in a web 2.0 society are used to not only receiving information, but also engaging it, and creating their own. If patrons feel they can make meaningful interactions and contributions to the library, then it makes the library all the more valuable to them. It's important to consider that especially in this case, librarians and staff must be careful of walking the fine line between being receptive to suggestions, and at the same time, avoiding the problem of over promising on every single idea that sounds halfway decent. While it is the patrons' library, in the end, the staff are the ones that have to run it, and implement any ideas or changes that may occur.